Coffee funds kids’ school lunches
Hot coffee is fuelling more than just people’s mornings in one neighbourhood.
Koha Coffee, a community-run barista programme, is helping to feed hungry schoolchildren while providing on-the-job experience for aspiring baristas.
The programme is run by Lower Hutt social enterprise incubator the Remakery and trains prospective baristas up from scratch. In return, trainees are asked for their time to make coffees for customers.
Remakery spokeswoman Julia Milne says Koha Coffee provided training and a possible career path for members of the community while also helping to feed others.
The suggested koha of $2.50 for a coffee goes into the ‘‘Koha Kitchen’’ which produces lunch for more than 100 hungry kids at Epuni School three times a week.
Milne says the plan was to eventually grow the kitchen to a point where it could produce meals for people in the wider community.
Koha Coffee was supported by two Wellington coffee roasters, Coffee Supreme, which donated the espresso machine and beans, and People’s Coffee, which provided mentoring for trainees.
Volunteer Rochelle Browne has been working on the Koha Coffee espresso machine for a month and says she eventually wants to find work as a barista. ‘‘I’ve found my passion here.’’
The Remakery was a good environment for her to hone her skills because it was child-friendly and meant she didn’t have to be away from her kids.
Browne donates her time at Koha Coffee about six times a week and has been teaching others how to make coffee.
She works with about 20 people through the scheme and was happy to pass her skills onto anyone keen to learn. ‘‘Learning new skills and sharing are what this place is all about.’’
❚ The Remakery is run by the Common Unity Project Aotearoa, a charity which provides food and other services to struggling families. It also helps nurture businesses that focus on sustainability and creating value out of recycled goods.